Recently I had an experience which aptly illustrates the fact that it’s impossible to please everyone.

1. You Can’t Please Everyone
Recently I had an experience which aptly illustrates the fact that it’s impossible to please everyone.
I was contacted by a woman who was seeking help for herself and her husband in starting a new
business. She provided a short introduction (more of a burst of sound bites really) in which she
basically informed me that this was a new experience for them, they weren’t sure what kind of
business to start, and that they were also seeking information on how to go about it.Basically, I could
tell from her “presentation” that she was a rank beginner. She obviously hadn’t even taken advantage
of free resources available on the internet, or she would have come across in a more knowledgeable
manner; and she probably didn’t even know most of the questions she should be asking.
I indicated to her that based upon what she had told me so far, she and her husband had a lot of
questions – to which she replied “Yes”.She then awaited my response.
My initial gut feeling was that she was looking for the “Holy Grail” at a bargain basement price, but I
always feel some sympathy for the uninitiated so I made an offer that was ridiculously fair. I told her
that we could sit down over a cup of coffee and I would address all of their questions for a flat $100.00
fee. I did this anticipating that if my offer was accepted, I might just end up spending a whole day with
them, and that they might be calling me again later wanting more & more informationfor the same
$100.00. I knew that I would be raising more questions for her to ask, and providing the answers, than
she could actually come up with herself; and every question/answer combo I provided would just raise
new questions in an ”endless” litany. But I made the offer anyway.
As soon as she heard me say “$100.00”, she made a polite, lame excuse and quickly hung up. Of
course, I have not heard from her again.She did me a great service.
I harbor no malice toward this woman, and actually feel some empathy toward her state of naivety, but
she is a classic example of the fact that you can’t please everyone.
If there is someone else out there who was foolish enough to offer her the same service at a lower
price (which someone probably did), either they place little value on their own time and expertise, or
their “expertise” is highly suspect. I suspect the latter, because anyone who has “paid the dues” to
amass real business expertise isn’t going to just give it away. That’s not the way the world works.
I suppose I could have helped this woman free gratis. I’ve done it a few times before. But as
experienced pros will acknowledge, people like this usually soak up all of your time & energy and end
up making you wish you’d never heard of them. Some people feel a misplaced sense of entitlement,
and will use you to whatever extent that you allow them. There’s a lot of traffic on the internet from
people seeking the fruits of others’ labors & experience for little or nothing. These people have little
knowledge, money, or patience, and they usually fall prey to some huckster who promises them “The
Secrets of Success” for a song; because the want instant gratification. As P.T. Barnum famously noted:
“There’s a sucker born every minute”. There are legitimate free resources on the internet, but the ones
I’ve seen are of a basic nature for beginners. I’ve posted a number of such articles myself.
You can’t please everyone, and you shouldn’t even try. Some people are just unpleasable because they
either suffer from a massive level of naivety, or they’re greedy and have unreasonable expectations.
This is just one of the many factors that business leaders must deal with in the course of affairs. Don’t
let yourself get caught in their trap.
Regards,
Alan Walsh, Owner
Huntington Consultancy